An important part of every CineEurope conference, held at the CCIB in Barcelona every June, is the trade show, where the latest in cinema service provider offerings – from concession stand options through to the nitty-gritty technical side of cinema exhibition – are displayed in all their glory.

Audio, acoustic and venue cosmetic enhancement products were present this year in abundance – however, two important projection developments were also noteworthy.

Barco presented their new approach to High Dynamic Range (HDR) projection. Apart from the features one would expect to see such as expanded contrast, more brilliant (in the literal sense) highlights, more detail and the brightest whites and ‘darker’ blacks, not to mention more vivid colours, the main question is: ‘how dey do dat?’ Beam steering, a technique already used in the audio world, directs sound from loudspeakers to a specific location. And now it is the turn of projection to use a technology known as light steering, that has been developed in collaboration with Hisense, to address the well-known problem of contrast. When the projector is always on full power, darker scenes can tend to be more of a grey colour, thus defeating the object of the purpose. 

The Barco LS4K projector overcomes this problem by distributing the light source to where it is needed – either less or more – through the use of light steering. Bright images get more power whereas darker images get less, thus allowing a very extended contrast ratio.

The second projection development was presented by Christie, with their new concept being displayed on an invitation-only basis. After SDR and HDR, we now have VDR – or Variable Dynamic Range. A new software development for Series 4 projectors allows light to be applied only on areas where it is needed, thus leaving darker points on the image more ‘in the dark’ while at the same time, emphasising lighter areas. The demonstration used two identical projectors for the image source, with one on ‘normal’ setting and the other with the new software, the two images being side by side for comparison. It has to be said that the difference in detail was very impressive.

An important detail for the budget-conscious is that the VDR solution is a software upgrade as opposed to needing a brand new projector, as well as using a standard DCP.

Audio and Acoustics

Eomac introduced two new series of acoustic panels that have definite applications for cinema installations. The PET felt acoustic panels are available in a wide range of colours and are easily mounted on wall surfaces or enclosed areas, such as ‘intimate seating’. In addition, laser cut out designs are available to meet client-supplied artwork. The sound absorption coefficients can be tailored by mounting the panels on a cavity wall, with a 150mm cavity providing impressive absorption from the low-mid frequencies upwards.

Eomac’s CONCRETE range of acoustic panels look like concrete but feature micro perforations and a choice of acoustic fillings to provide different acoustical responses. The panels are available in five shades of colour and offer three edging options in order to meet aesthetic requirements. If you are looking for a concrete finish without the weight, these panels are the answer.

Making their first appearance at CineEurope was audio systems manufacturer Fidek, by First Audio Manufacturing from Hong Kong, who concentrated on presenting their range of THX-approved cinema systems plus a new range for those cinemas equipped with LED screens.

The THX-range includes both a two-way and three-way screen system, a subwoofer with two 18” (46cm) drivers, a pair of passive two-way surround speakers with 10” (25cm) woofers and ABS enclosures, a fully-featured digital cinema audio processor accepting both 2K cinema servers and eight analogue audio inputs plus non-sync and a series of Class-D digital power amplifiers ranging from 900W channel into 4 ohms up to 1800W channel. The range is completed by a 12-way power sequencer with universal outlets on the rear panel. The unit is rated at 16A with breaker and also features noise filtering to attenuate external interference.

The new series of speakers for LED screen installations, a game-changer for audio and acoustics, is aimed at what is also being termed ‘solid screen cinema’. The range consists of speakers designed to go either side of the screen and/or over and under, with five models designed to meet the different requirements of small to large auditoriums. The range is complemented by a compact subwoofer fitted with two 10” (25cm) drivers and a two-way THX-approved surround speaker with a 12” (30cm) bass driver for extended low frequency response.

GDC has introduced the AIB 3000 DTS 16-channel cinema processor. Compatible with all major IMBs, the unit will also decode analogue input signals to a variety of surround sound formats, including 5.1, 7.1 and 15.1, to DTS surround standards. Features include a user-friendly graphical interface, surround channel bass management, built-in three-way crossovers for the screen channels and digital-to-analogue conversion for easy integration with analogue sound systems.

High Performance Stereo was once again on the trade show floor, together with their industry-recognised audio specialist, John Allen. The HPS 4000 system is all horn-loaded and each year sees additional fine-tuning for the mid-frequency compression driver for increased accuracy in the vocal range.

Kelonik Cinema Sound has released a set of digital-to-analogue converters (AES-3) with 8, 12 and 16 balanced analogue outputs. The converters allow easy interfacing from digital servers to analogue sound systems and are 1U in rack height. For immersive or more extensive surround systems, there is also the DAC-132032 with 32 AES-67 digital inputs going to 32 analogue outputs. Units can be cascaded to provide up to 128 channels.

The DAC-132032 is also suitable for installations that are currently 5.1/7.1, thus allowing for future expansion.

Also new from Kelonik are two surround loudspeakers, the TC-12 and TC-14, using 12” (30cm) bass drivers and coaxial mid/high frequency driver. The new design aims to offer easy installation of the speakers on both side walls and ceilings.

In their fiftieth year of business, Krix Loudspeakers offers a wide range of 2 to 4-way speaker systems for small to very large auditoriums. Though classed as home cinema, the MX Modular Series is more than suitable for boutique cinemas and screening rooms, offering high performance with easy installation. 

New from Krix is the KA-1100 dual mono dedicated subwoofer amplifier with both balanced and RCA connector inputs and two independent output channels. Power response is quoted as up to 700W/RMS per channel. Each channel features a low-pass filter and internal DSP provides switchable modes for Krix MX and Cyclonix subwoofers as well as a ‘standard’ mode: the notable point here is that it permits the optimum integration of different types of subwoofer.

LARS offers a wide range of LED lighting products, including stair edging profiles incorporating LED strips that combine security with aesthetics. The Universal Series uses a variety of techniques, including backlighting for uninterrupted light strips – such as the LAP profile – or individual LEDs, depending on the effect desired. Profiles are available for mounting as step lights, wall edgings and other applications. 

The LED Nosing series provides a variety of non-slip stair edgings with angled strip or individual LED lighting. The end of the strip can incorporate characters to indicate row numbers and individual elements are also available to show numbers or custom displays.

MAG Cinema launched the ERA series of speakers, which covers applications for both projection screens and LED (or solid) screens.

The ERA 5 screen speaker uses elements from line array technology in order to aim the sound for more precise coverage in the auditorium. The mid frequencies are handled by four pairs of angled 6” (15cm) drivers that produce lobes for more even coverage, together with what MAG calls a ‘coverage control high frequency waveguide’ (or horn) that features a limited vertical dispersion characteristic. The two elements are housed in a tower that can be aimed as required.

The low frequencies are handled by an enclosure housing three 15” (30cm) drivers arranged in a passive cardioid array. This is quite an interesting development and comes from sound reinforcement and concert systems where it is often necessary to reduce the sound coming from the rear of the bass speakers and, in effect, make the front projection more precise. MAG claims a reduction of -16dB, which in practical terms means less bass hitting the rear wall and disturbing adjacent auditoriums (assuming that the screen speakers have not been installed in a baffle wall).

The LED ERA 212 is a three-way system that is aimed at cinemas using LED screens. Internal adjustments allow the directivity to be adjusted according to the installation requirements. The speaker can be mounted either horizontally or vertically, i.e. under or over the screen and on either side. The central mid/high section can be rotated in order to have identical coverage characteristics when installed vertically or horizontally.

Prime Seating, as the name suggests, offers a wide range of luxury seating for cinemas with features such as flexible trays, motorised recliners and footrests. An interesting dynamic featured as part of their trade show booth was a real life example of the cube cinema concept, which had been discussed in the CineEurope opening session, “New Cinema Concepts” (presented by Thomas Van de Weerd of The AnyThing). The cube itself housed a single-seater with video screen, stereo audio system, and acoustic treatment. In many ways recalling the ‘news theatres’ that used to be near or in railway stations, the cube concept opens quite a few avenues for people looking for something different, or more with a privacy focus.

Qingdao Fuyi Acoustics proposes a wide range of acoustical products that range from acoustic wall and ceiling panels, velour-style acoustic curtains, absorber and diffusion panels, together with a variety of decoration and artistic possibilities. There is also a range of panels with built-in lighting to further add aesthetic results and these have applications for boutique cinemas as well as larger auditoriums.

An interesting product is that of the sound absorption door. Not exactly a door in itself but an absorbent block that can be custom fitted to existing doors and provide sound isolation with a smart appearance.

All panels meet international flame retardant specifications.

Timewaying Technology displayed the HeyLED LED cinema screens. Claimed advantages over DLP projectors are improved colour, contrast and brightness and the system is also capable of HDR with a broader colour gamut. The panels use proprietary optical lenses which are said to eliminate pixel glare and eye fatigue.

Screen sizes at present are 8 x 4.5m, 10 x 5.5m, 16 x 8.5m and 20m x 10.5m for PLF installations. In the pipeline is also a range of DCI compliant screens for home cinema and presentation suites.

An Inspiring Start

The sheer range of products, services and companies present on the trade show floor means that this is by no means an exhaustive list. But one interesting observation from perusing all that was on offer was the clear influence from outside traditional cinema creeping in. Since the pandemic (and arguably before), there’s a need for cinemas to continue to innovate and expand what they offer their customers. And as this year proved, the trade show floor is a good place to start for inspiration.